The present invention relates to a cutting assembly for a motor chainsaw comprising a guide bar with a peripheral guide groove and a saw chain circulating in the guide groove in the longitudinal direction of the guide bar. The saw chain is comprised of centrally arranged drive members and has laterally positioned connecting members including cutters with cutting teeth that are alternatingly positioned to the right and to left of the saw chain. All chain members are connected pivotably to one another by rivet bolts that extend transverse to the circulating direction of the saw chain. The drive members have projections engaging the guide groove, while the cutters and connectors are slidingly supported on guide surfaces positioned laterally adjacent to the guide groove. Each one of the cutters has a base with a support stay for a cutting tooth. The support stay has a laterally projecting roof portion extending transversely to the chain circulating direction and having a roof cutting edge which is positioned at the leading end in the chain circulating direction.
From U.S. Pat. No. 2,832,380 a saw chain is known which has divided cutting teeth. One cutting tooth is embodied as a leading lateral cutting edge and has coordinated therewith too following cutting teeth with roof cutting edges and a further cutting tooth member positioned on the opposite longitudinal side of the cutting chain that has a lateral cutting edge. Since the cutting members in the longitudinal direction of the cutting chain are positioned at a spacing to one another the cut for removing a cutting is carried out in sequential steps which is unfavorable with respect to the efficiency of the saw chain as well as with respect to removal of the cuttings.
From U.S. Pat. No. 2,622,636 a saw chain with shaving teeth arranged to the right and to the left of the saw chain is known. The teeth are respectively embodied with angled cutting roof portions extending across the longitudinal center axis of the saw chain and supported on support stays at the outer longitudinal side. The support stays, extending in the longitudinal direction of the saw chain, form together with adjacently arranged support stays for the cutting teeth almost a type of partition, especially when taking into consideration the very high chain speed of 20 m/sec. This "partition" must be overcome when the cuttings are to be removed laterally. This results in efficiency losses.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to embody a cutting assembly of the aforementioned kind such that with a minimal output a high cutting efficiency can be realized.